Progress 10/01/00 to 09/30/04
Outputs
Recently we have begun a collaboration with the School of Veterinary Medicine at Maisons-Alfort, France. A new Bartonella species was identified and named Bartonella chomelii in honor of Bruno Chomel (Maillard et al., 2004). New vectors are being identified for ruminants Bartonella, especially biting flies both in Europe and in the USA (Chung et al., 2004; Halos et al., 2004; Dehio et al., 2004). We reported the first identification of B. henselae DNA from a biting fly in the USA (Chung et al., EID, 2004). Present work conducted in California (funded in part by a grant from the Wildlife Health Center) includes identification of Bartonella isolates from mule deer and elk herds across California and their relationship with isolates from beef and dairy cattle. The work also focused on presence of Bartonella DNA in biting flies collected on beef cattle and whenever possible on wild ruminants. At present, blood from 251 mule deer from 6 herds have been cultured and several
isolates obtained.
Impacts
Of the 20 species or subspecies of Bartonella currently known, 7 cause various diseases in humans with many being zoonotic. However, some Bartonella species appear only to cause asymptomatic bacteraemia in their hosts. ITS PCR testing appears to be a convenient tool for a quick diagnosis of ruminant Bartonella species.
Publications
- Chung CY, Kasten RW, Paff SM, Van Horn BA, Vayssier-Taussat M, Boulouis HJ,Chomel BB. 2004 Bartonella spp. DNA associated with biting flies from California. Emerg Infect Dis. Jul;10(7):1311-3.
- Dehio C, Sauder U, Hiestand R. 2004 Isolation of Bartonella schoenbuchensis from Lipoptena cervi, a blood-sucking arthropod causing deer ked dermatitis. J Clin Microbiol. Nov;42(11):5320-3.
- Halos L, Jamal T, Maillard R, Girard B, Guillot J, Chomel B, Vayssier-Taussat M, Boulouis HJ. 2004 Role of Hippoboscidae flies as potential vectors of Bartonella spp. infecting wild and domestic ruminants. Appl Environ Microbiol. Oct;70(10):6302-5.
|
Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
For this project, no funding was requested in the last few years, especially because of the complete lack of interest of USDA for bovine Bartonella infections. Most of the work I am doing with bovine Bartonella is in collaboration with French researchers at the Vet School in Maisons-Alfort. Last summer we did a short project with a NIH Summer student (Crystal Chung) through the CCM summer project. We looked at the potential role of biting flies as possible vectors of bovine Bartonella. A paper is in press in Emerging Infectious Diseases (see below). A few manuscripts have been published in collaboration with the French team. We are starting a study of ecological interaction of wild ruminants and domestic ruminants Bartonella isolates.
Impacts
Of the 20 species or subspecies of Bartonella currently known, 7 cause various diseases in humans with many being zoonotic. However, some Bartonella species appear only to cause asymptomatic bacteraemia in their hosts. ITS PCR testing appears to be a convenient tool for a quick diagnosis of ruminant Bartonella species.
Publications
- Maillard R, Riegel P, Barrat F, Bouillin C, Thibault D, Gandoin C, Halos L, Demanche C, Alliot A, Guillot J, Piemont Y, Boulouis HJ, Vayssier-Taussat. 2004. M.Bartonella chomelii sp. nov., isolated from French domestic cattle (Bos taurus).Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2004 Jan;54(Pt 1):215-220.
- Maillard R, Vayssier-Taussat M, Bouillin C, Gandoin C, Halos L, Chomel B, Piemont Y, Boulouis HJ. 2004. Identification of Bartonella strains isolated from wild and domestic ruminants by a single-step PCR analysis of the 16S-23S intergenic spacer region. Vet Microbiol. 2004 Jan 14;98(1):63-9.
- Bermond D, Boulouis HJ, Heller R, Van Laere G, Monteil H, Chomel BB, Sander A, Dehio C, Piemont Y. 2002. Bartonella bovis Bermond et al. sp. nov. and Bartonella capreoli sp. nov., isolated from European ruminants. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2002 Mar;52(Pt 2):383-390.
- Crystal Y. Chung, Rickie W. Kasten, Sandra M. Paff, Brian A. Van Horn,Muriel Vayssier-Taussat, Henri-Jean Boulouis and Bruno B. Chomel. 2004. Bartonella spp DNA associated with biting flies from California. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2004; in press
|
Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02
Outputs
Bartonella bovis has been isolated from domestic cattle and wild ruminants in California (Chang et al., 2000). Experimental Bartonella infections in domestic cats (Guptill et al., 1998) and in mice (Boulouis et al., 2001) have shown that reproductive disorders could be induced by such infection. In order to establish if such clinical manifestations could occur in domestic cattle, we cultured blood from 89 pregnant heifers/cows including 52 animals with reproductive disorders (i.e., abortion, pyometra, mummified foetus,) and 37 controls from 3 dairy farms in the Tulare area, CA. Six samples were too contaminated and could not be tested for presence of Bartonella. Bacteremic animals were diagnosed only from one farm. On that farm, five (8.3%) out of 60 animals were bacteremic, all from the control group. These preliminary data do not support a major role for Bartonella to be a cause of reproductive disorders. However, sample size and low prevalence of infection in these
herds are major limiting factors. It will be necessary to repeat such a study on a larger group of animals in farms where Bartonella prevalence of infection is at least 30% of the herd.
Impacts
These preliminary data do not support a major role for Bartonella to be a cause of reproductive disorders. A major limitation of this study was the very low prevalence of bacteremia in the three herds, which may have impacted negatively our study design. Sample size was also a major limiting factor. It will be necessary to repeat such a study on a larger group of animals in farms where Bartonella prevalence of infection is at least 30% of the herd, as previously reported (Chang et al, 2000).
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|
Progress 01/01/01 to 12/31/01
Outputs
Bartonella bovis has been isolated from domestic cattle and wild ruminants (mule deer and elk) in California. Prevalence of infection is very high (>90%) in beef cattle and high (30%) in dairy cattle. We have demonstrated the presence of Bartonella DNA, including B. bovis in Ixodes pacificus questing adult ticks (Chang et al., 2001). In order to determine the mode of transmission of the infection in cattle, we tested 42 six-to-eight month-old beef cattle (32 animals) and dairy cattle (10 animals). Of the 32 beef cattle raised at the Sierra Station, Marysville, 13 were bacteremic at the initial testing. Over the 3 following months, the negative animals were retested and all of them were diagnosed to be bacteremic. Among the 10 animals coming from a dairy farm in Tracy, 7 were bacteremic. Three stayed abacteremic after the second testing at one-month interval. These three animals were enrolled in our experimental infection. Each calf received 1 ml of a Bartonella
culture by intradermal route injected in 3 to 5 different sites on the neck. One animal was injected with a California isolate of B. bovis type I (NA21-S1), one animal was injected with a French cow isolate of B. bovis type I (BV-91-4) and the last calf was injected with B. weissii, isolated from a domestic cat and shown to be identical to B. bovis by PCR/RFLP, partial sequencing and DNA/DNA hybridation (Bermond et al, 2002, in press). All three animals developed fever (>102.5) within a few days after infection. It peaked by day 8 and day 9 post-infection (PI) in two animals and by day 20 PI in the third calf. A marked lymphadenopathy was noticed in 2 of the 3 animals between day 11 and day 13 PI. The third calf had a moderate lymphadenopathy, which started later (day 17), but lasted longer (day 51). The calf infected with the US strain started to be bacteremic on day 35 PI and remained bacteremic until the end of the experimentation (end of January 2002). The animal infected with the
French strain became bacteremic on day 80 PI and stayed bacteremic until the end of the experimentation. The third calf inoculated with the feline strain (B. weissii) never became bacteremic. Serological testing by ELISA of these three animals showed seroconversion for only the calf infected with the US strain. IgG titer started raising at day 24 PI and peaked at day 34. A second peak was observed on day 78.
Impacts
Conclusion: Two of the 3 animals became bacteremic (the two inoculated with the bovine strains), but bacteremia started several weeks after experimental infection (usually, in experimentally infected cats, dogs and rodents, bacteremia starts one week PI). To the contrary of most other species tested, age could be a factor for such a delayed bacteremia. In a French cattle herd, no bacteremia was detected in calves before 7 months of age (Boulouis, Big Sky Bartonella meeting, 2002). The other possibility will be an "abortive" experimental infection, but a "natural" infection acquired from the environment, as other animals, including beef cattle that could be bacteremic were on the premises. We cannot exclude either exposure to biting insects, but not to ticks, as no ticks were found on our animals, except at the beginning of the trial on the only calf that did not became bacteremic (and infected with the feline strain). The 3 animals were also kept separated from other
cattle. Therefore, the likelihood of a "natural infection" is weak, as only the two animals inoculated with the bovine strains and not the one infected with cat strain became bacteremic.
Publications
- Chang CC, Chomel BB, Kasen RW, Romano V and Tietze N. 2001. Molecular Evidence of Bartonella spp. in Questing Adult Ixodes pacificus Ticks in California. J Clin Microbiology, 39:4. 121-1226.
- Bermond D, Boulouis J, Heller R, Van Laere G, Montell H, Chomel BB, Sander A, Dehlo C and Piemont Y. 2002. Bratonella bovis Bermond et al. sp. nov. and Bartonella capreoli sp. nov., isolated from European ruminants. Intl J of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.
|
Progress 01/01/00 to 12/31/00
Outputs
Our Bartonella research has lead us to identify the presence of Bartonella DNA in several questing adult Ixodes pacificus, including several Bartonella pathogenic for humans and 5 ticks were harboring a strain with a sequence identical to our cattle strain. Furthermore, we have been able to increase the number of cattle and elk herds tested in California. We have been able to bring more preliminary data to support our hypothesis in establishing age prevalence of bacteremia in large French herd. We also did major molecular work to better identify the characteristics of the various domestic and wild ruminants Bartonella isolates. We also have been able to test cows in two more herds, one beef cattle herd from the California coastal range and one dairy cattle herd from southern California, where heifers are sent to the Sierra foothills prior to returning to the dairy farm. A collaborative project with our French colleagues led us to also isolate Bartonella in French
cattle herds. We investigated Bartonella bacteremia prevalence in a whole dairy herd and also investigated possible vertical transmission of the agent.
Impacts
Our work has clearly demonstrated the reproductive disorders generated by Bartonella infection in a mouse model, characterized by smaller litters, fetal resorption and bacteremia in live fetuses obtained by caesarean section from bacteremic mice. Similar observations have also been reported in experimentally infected cats. We were not able to demonstrate vertical transmission of the infection in calves born by cesarean section from bacteremic cows, therefore such reproductive disorders could be expected in other species, including cattle. Our leadership in Bartonella research has also led us to investigate infection not only in mammals, but also anthropod vectors. This project is quite original in that it investigates to determine a possible pathogenic role for a new bacterium, only recently identified by our group. It is difficult at this point to quantify the impact of this infection on animal health, however, as a non- negligible part of reproductive disorders in
cattle still have an unknown etiology, it is worthwhile to further investigate Bartonella.
Publications
- Chomel BB. 2000. Cat Scratch Disease. Rev Sci Tech Off Int. Epiz. 19(1):136-150.
- Chomel BB. 2000. Zoonoses bactgeriennes emergentes (emerging bacterial zoonoses). Point Vet 31:195-202.
- Chang CC, Chomel BB, Kasten RW, Heller R, Kocan KM, Ueno H, Yamamoto K, Bleich VC, Pierce BM, Gonzales BJ, Swift PK, Boyce WM, Janp Ss, Bouloouis JH, Piemont Y. 2000. Isolation of Bartonella spp. from wile cervids, bovids and domestic cattle in north America. Emerg. Infect. Dis 6(3):306-311.
|
Progress 01/01/99 to 12/31/99
Outputs
Bartonella species have been identified as important emerging zoonotic agents. Cats are the known reservoir of Bartonella henselae, the main agent of cat scratch disease. In recent years, several new Bartonella species or subspecies have been isolated from a wide range of mammals, including rodents, carnivores, and more recently wild and domestic ruminants. Known Bartonella infections have all been determined to be vector-borne. We have isolated Bartonella from mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), elk (Cervus elaphus), and cattle (Bos taurus). Compared to carnivores, ruminants appear to be heavily infected, with up to 90% of the animals tested being Bartonella bacteremic. We found that bacteremia was more common in beef cattle compared to dairy cattle. During the present study, we were able to investigate Bartonella infection in two more California herds, one dairy herd for which heifers are raised in the Sierra foothills and one beef herd from the Coastal Range. 70%
(69/98) of the dairy herd and 80% (48/59) of the beef herd were bacteremic, with respectively 43% and 60% of these cows having a high level of bacteremia (several hundreds of colony forming units/ml of blood). All isolates were identified by PCR/RFLP. Six different PCR/RFLP profiles were identified in domestic and wild ruminants. By partial sequencing of the citrate synthase gene and comparison with the corresponding gene segment of identified Bartonella strains, ruminant Bartonella strains were closely related to Bartonella weissi, a species isolated from domestic cats. Furthermore, we focused our research activity on the potential role of ticks as vectors of ruminant Bartonella. We individually tested 151 questing adult Ixodes pacificus by PCR/RFLP. Almost 20% of the ticks tested harbored Bartonella DNA, and were carrying several Bartonella species, including strains found in cattle. Our collaborative work with French researchers allowed us to demonstrate that bacteremia occurs
after 6 months of age and reaches a peak in the 9 to 24 month-old animals. No vertical transmission was identified in calves born from bacteremic cows at time of delivery by cesarean section.
Impacts
Results of this research is being submitted for publication in several peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at several scientific meetings. This research opens a new field of investigation in cattle infection, and still needs to demonstrate any pathologic effect on ruminants. Suspicion of reproductive disorders warrants further investigation.
Publications
- Chomel, B.B., R.W. Kasten, C.C. Chang, K. Yamamoto, R. Heller, S. Maruyama, H. Ueno, D. Simpson, P.A. Swift, S.S. Jang, Y. Piemont, and N.C. Pedersen. 1998. Isolation of Bartonella spp. from California wildlife. Abstract for poster. International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, GA, March 8-11, P-21.10.
- Chang, C.C., B.B. Chomel, R.W. Kasten, R. Heller, K.M. Kocan, H. Ueno, K. Yamamoto, P.K. Swift, B. Gonzales, W. Boyce, S.S. Jane, Y. Piemont. 1998. Isolation of Bartonella spp. from wild cervids, bovids, and domestic cattle in the United States. International Conference on emerging zoonoses, Strasbourg, France, November 5-9, p75.
- Chang, C.C., B.B. Chomel, R.W. Kasten, R. Heller, K.M. Kocan, H. Ueno, K. Yamamoto, V.C. Bleich, B.J. Gonzales, P.K. Swift, W.M. Boyce, S.S. Jang, H. Boulouis, Y. Piemont. 1999. Isolation of Bartonella spp. from wild cervids, bovids, and domestic cattle in North America. Emerging Infectious Diseases (submitted to Emerging Infectious Diseases for publication).
|
|